Xie Yunling coughed up blood, staining his pale beard.

He looked on the ground and at the bamboo leaves that were sliced in half. Suddenly, his vision became muddy and trancelike.

“Cultivator…”

Xie Yunling coughed up blood once more and shook his head.

The world… had really changed.

A Daoist disciple who had abandoned the school only to return five years later could destroy all of Daoist School’s glory with a single strike.

Xie Yunling initially thought that with Spirit Qi as the root and source of his powers combined with the methods of heaven and earth, he could easily overpower and defeat Young Master Lu of Beilou.

Now it seemed that everything he thought of was simply fantasy.

A cultivator—who was now a disciple of White Jade City—broke the methods of his research with a single strike of the butcher knife.

If he, Xie Yunling, really used his research methods in front of Young Master Master Lu, then he might not even know how he would die.

“White Jade City’s Lu Ping’an…how strong is he?” Xie Yunling asked as he coughed up blood yet again. Gasping for air, he flickered his eyes slightly, all the while looking at Nie Changqing, who was wearing a white robe.

Nie Changqing withdrew his butcher knife and kept it around his waist, as a calm expression was etched on his face.

It seemed that it was a trivial matter to be able to break through to the Internal Organs Realm.

Instead, it was Xie Yunling’s words that slightly stunned Nie Changqing.

His question… was really difficult to answer.

Nie Changqing recalled every bit of each meeting with Lu Fan.

On that rainy night, a maidservant appeared in front of Lu Fan, who was sitting elegantly in his wheelchair. He was merely resting his chin on the palm of his hand, yet with a single look, he rendered Han Lianxiao into utter despair, and she completely surrendered to him. She fell to the ground and was soaked in rainwater.

How strong was Lu Fan really? Nie Changqing really could not give an accurate guess.

That was because he could not see through to Lu Fan.

He did not know how many tricks Lu Fan had up his sleeves.

“The Young Master, well, he is very strong…” Nie Changqing seriously answered after pondering over the question.

Xie Yunling plopped down into a large pile of fallen leaves.

“How strong is very strong?” Xie Yunling asked again.

Nie Changqing weighed the question again, as a confused look appeared in his eyes.

“Even if all the people in the world joined forces, Young Master Lu could still possibly win,” Nie Changqing said.

He was after all a disciple of White Jade City, so did it matter that he was bragging about the Young Master?

In the distance, Li Sansui was shocked when she heard this.

Nie Changqing really had the guts to speak those words.

White Jade City’s Lu Ping’an. Could he really be that powerful?

Xie Yunling was stunned as well. A bitter and unconstrained smile appeared on his old and wrinkled face.

“I understand what you are saying. Everyone, I shall leave now.”

Nie Changqing gave Xie Yunling a deep look.

Carrying Ru’er on his back, Nie Changqing softly smiled as Ru’er played with his black hair in a silly manner. Step by step, he took his butcher knife, carried his wife, and, under the vibrant red sunset, headed down Tiandang Mountain.

Nie Changqing had completed his task—deliver Lu Fan’s message to the Daoist School. As for the disciples’ attitude toward them, Nie Changqing would no longer be bothered by it.

He then took with him his wife.

From now on, Nie Changqing and the Daoist School will…

Have nothing between them.

******

Big Marsh, South County.

Outside the Dragon Gate in the Secret Realm, Tang Xiansheng paced around anxiously.

At last…

The inner Dragon Gate was no longer packed with soldiers trying to escape, but a familiar figure slowly appeared.

“Yun’er!”

Tang Xiansheng’s eyes flickered.

Upon seeing Tang Baiyun, Tang Yimo and the others immediately walked out of the Dragon Gate. Their faces gradually displayed a cheerful look.

On Tang Baiyun’s body, there was a light blue aura that was constantly flickering.

“Father!”

“My child, from today onward… you will also be a cultivator!”

Tang Baiyun saw that Tang Xiansheng was here and smiled.

Tang Baiyun was thrilled. There was originally only one cultivator, and that was Tang Yimo. In fact, he was worried about his inheritance as the heir to Tang Manor, which could be jeopardized because of Tang Yimo’s abilities.

However, he was now also a cultivator. Tang Xiansheng’s position as the guardian of South County will be inherited most definitely by the eldest son of his wife—which would be himself, Tang Baiyun—and not the illegitimate son Tang Yimo.

Tang Yimo was covered in sweat, and even his clothes were all wet.

He glanced at the excited Tang Baiyun lightly and then pouted.

He placed his hands on his chest, faced Tang Xiansheng, and performed the polite gesture to him and then turned away.

Tang Baiyun naturally explained the situation in the Secret Realm.

Meanwhile, Tang Yimo intended to head back to accompany his younger sister and mother.

Tang Baiyun explained in detail the situation in the Secret Realm to Tang Xiansheng, although in a highly emotive manner. The particularity of the terracotta warriors was made known to Tang Xiansheng—which made his eyes lit up.

“With these terracotta warriors… Can I train an army of cultivators in my South County?!”

“With an army of cultivators, even White Jade City… I will no longer be afraid of it! Hahaha!”

After listening to Tang Baiyun’s explanation, Tang Xiansheng immediately thought of this.

“Those who adopt the Royal Dragon Land will then have the right to compete for the world!”

Tang Baiyun was taken aback for a moment. When he finally understood the situation, he could not help but take in a deep breath.

Tang Xiansheng patted Tang Baiyun’s shoulder and said, “Yun’er, my South County has always been a fertile land. The surrounding lands have been chaotic, and the various counties have always been in trouble. Why is it that my South County have always not participated in their fights? Do you think that your father has no ambition?”

Tang Baiyun was puzzled by these words. He placed his hands across his chest, asking for forgiveness.

“I am wrong. Dad has ambitions.”

“My South County sits in the most fertile areas of Great Zhou, with enormous amounts of wealth and a strong group of elite soldiers that can rival any other county. However, what is Great Zhou like today? Apart from the six large strongholds, it is nothing but a mess. How can Great Zhou fight against the world?”

Tang Xiansheng took a deep breath and said, “So why then should my South County not fight for something?”

He looked at the Coiled Dragon swirling around in the mud pool, and his eyes were gleaming.

“However, Kong Xiu, that old fart, is very cunning… And there is still Jiang Li, a disciple of the Militarist. While Great Zhou now looks like a sick cat, don’t forget that it used to be a tiger.”

“The West County and North County have no disputes, but they never really took over Great Zhou either.”

“The more it is like this, the more I have to hold my ground and way of doing things.”

“However, I can’t wait anymore. There are eight places for raising dragons, and there is one in the capital city. If I can think of using Dragon Raising Sites to train an army of cultivators, then Kong Xiu, that old fart, would probably think of it too…”

“The capital city of Great Zhou is close to Beiluo City. White Jade City is within Beiluo City. The mysterious Young Master Lu is the biggest variable left.”

“White Jade City, the world’s number one cultivator force. There must be more ways to train cultivators. If the young emperor went to White Jade City to study and practice, the army of cultivators we trained could not be better than Great Zhou.”

Tang Xiansheng was dignified as he shared these words.

His words shocked Tang Baiyun.

He did not expect Tang Xiansheng to strategize this much.

“Father, so what should South County do?”

Tang Baiyun once again placed his hands across his chest.

Tang Xiansheng narrowed his eyes and looked at Tang Yimo, who was limping and disappearing into the horizon.

“Now, the young emperor is mostly worried about… the army of North and West County.”

“So we… should just do what he wants.”

Tang Xiansheng caressed his beard.

“Do what he wants?!” Tang Baiyun slightly froze when he heard this.

“Yun’er, explore the Secret Realm and train an army of cultivators. I will let Yimo accompany and assist you. This army shall be called… the North Manor Army.”

“Also, I—this old bag of bones—should also be on the move. I should go to the capital city to meet the young emperor.”

Tang Xiansheng smiled as he stroked his beard.

Entering the capital city in his current capacity also required great courage.

******

The Overlord withdrew from the floating sky island.

He did not go any farther, as the palace on the floating sky island had no other items except for the three types of elixir.

If he wanted to gain anything more than that, he would have to enter the Central Palace, where the eight dragon gates converge.

However, the Overlord was not sure.

The pressure that the palace placed on his body was so great that he shuddered at the thought of it.

Based on his experience of moving through the Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge, the most powerful being should be in the Central Palace.

It was like an old gas canister recharging itself perpetually.

If the Overlord achieved a breakthrough to the Internal Organs Realm, then he might have given it a shot.

However, in his current state, he had no confidence that he could do so.

Since the beatings he endured, the Overlord’s arrogance had since tapered down a lot.

He would no longer be as arrogant as before.

He would still break into this Central Palace, but… he had to wait for someone.

Standing on the floating sky island, he looked out over the remaining seven floating sky islands around him.

There were iron chains on the floating sky islands that connected them to the Central Palace. The Overlord believed that someone would eventually be able to accompany him into breaking into the Central Palace.

He then exited the Dragon Gate…

Jumped out of the river.

On the banks of the Dongyan River, many Western Liang soldiers looked excitedly at the Overlord.

“How’s the situation?” Xiang Shaoyun asked.

“Overlord, I sent soldiers to get Spirit Qi by killing the terracotta warriors. Now, we have trained eighteen soldiers who can cultivate Spirit Qi,” a grandmaster general who had cultivated Spirit Qi replied.

“Just eighteen soldiers?” Xiang Shaoyun frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with the number.

“Overlord, that is already a very good number. The terracotta warriors were extremely powerful, and a regular grandmaster is not an opponent at all. If we were to use numbers to calculate, you would need a hundred people to crush a terracotta warrior.”

“Moreover, it takes time for a terracotta warrior that had been shattered to assemble together once more…”

“The most important thing is that not everyone can condense wisps of Spirit Qi, and only the talented can have Spirit Qi enter their bodies. Those with poor talents cannot gather Spirit Qi at all,” the general said.

“It’s already pretty good to have eighteen people condensing wisps of Spirit Qi.”

After this explanation, Xiang Shaoyun finally relaxed his eyebrows.

“Okay.”

“The soldiers who condensed the Spirit Qi shall be grouped into a new army, guided by me personally. This army will then be called… Western Liang Xiang Family’s Army.”

“Let Xu Chu try as well. The military general of Western Liang should also be able to condense Spirit Qi!” Xiang Shaoyun said.

The general, who had given the report, suddenly felt his body shuddering all over when he heard this. His face flushed red.

“Hey!”

Western Liang Xiang Family’s Army!

An army composed entirely of cultivators will surely… be invincible!

******

Capital city.

Yuwen Xiu looked at all the soldiers that came out of the Dragon Gate, albeit covered in blood.

Many of them had Spirit Qi in their bodies!

He excitedly clapped his hands.

The Imperial Advisor sat in the advisor’s chair as his eyes drooped slightly, although his expression was unclear.

Yuwen Xiu summoned Jiang Li.

Jiang Li, donning a silver armor, stood before Yuwen Xiu.

“Citizen Jiang, I ordered people to explore the Secret Realm. Although my losses were heavy, what we managed to harvest was also excellent. About 30 people got Spirit Qi. These 30 people shall, under the command of Citizen Jiang, form the… Black Dragon Guard! Guard the capital city and protect everyone!”

Yuwen Xiu sat on the dragon throne and spoke with excitement.

Jiang Li was stunned.

The Imperial Advisor sitting in the advisor’s chair also opened his eyes slightly.

Black Dragon Guard… An army of cultivators?

Jiang Li placed his hands over his chest and answered solemnly, “Your commander will most certainly fulfill his mission!”

Yuwen Xiu clapped his hands and said, “It’s a pity that Citizen Jiang doesn’t want to gather Spirit Qi in the Dragon Gate in the Secret Realm. I’m afraid that if Citizen Jiang Ai Qing has no Spirit Qi, as the future commander of the Black Dragon Guard, you will not be able to lead them well and serve the people.”

As soon as these words came out, Jiang Li’s eyebrows raised a little.

Kong Xiu, the Imperial Advisor, who was sitting on the side, said, “Your Majesty, do not worry… General Jiang is a disciple of the Militarist. He is ranked top in the world when it comes to leading soldiers. If the Black Dragon Guard is led by General Jiang, you certainly will have nothing to worry about.”

“Nanfei.”

Kong Nanfei, standing quietly behind the Imperial Advisor, froze and said, “The disciple is here.”

“Your Majesty, Kong Nanfei, can assist General Jiang to train the Black Dragon Guard.”

The uncertainties of the Imperial Advisor resounded throughout.

Yuwen Xiu was shocked.

Kong Nanfei was definitely a real cultivator. With the help of Kong Nanfei, it would certainly save Jiang Li a lot of trouble.

“The teacher can sacrifice his prized disciple, Citizen Kong, to help train the Black Dragon Guard. That will really solve all my problems.”

Yuwen Xiu laughed when he said that.

Suddenly, Yuwen Xiu turned his head and looked at the old eunuch beside him.

“Old thing, you should also go to the Secret Realm. You have been with me for so many years, and as the emperor, I don’t want to see you be eliminated by the time.”

The old eunuch heard these words and hurried to kneel on the ground.

“Your Majesty…”

“Go, and if you don’t get Spirit Qi, you don’t have to come back,” Yuwen Xiu said.

The old eunuch’s body shook, and his forehead touched the ground.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

******

On this day, all major forces in the world decided to train each of their army of cultivators.

When these decisions were made, it was already destined to change the world.

At this moment, Lu Ping’an was the one that was causing big changes in the world.

However, he was rubbing his temples, as if dealing with a headache.

He hesitated as he read the newly obtained elixir recipe.

“It takes a kilogram of dragon blood to make Dragon’s Blood Elixir…”

“Where should I get this amount of dragon blood?”